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CHIC AGO CALLING

A Spiritual & Cultural Quarterly eZine of the Vivekananda Vedanta

Society of Chicago

No. 9, 2016

Table of Contents

Page

EDITORIAL 3

HELP, ASSIMILATION & HARMONY FROM VEDANTA POINT OF VIEW

SWAMI CHETANANANDA 4

SWAMI VIVEKANANDA: THE EMBODIMENT OF KNOWLEDGE

SWAMI NIRMALATMANANDA 9

TO SEE POTENTIAL DIVINITY IN EACH SOUL 12

PREPARATION FOR GOD REALIZATION (1)

SWAMI ISHATMANANDA 13

ARISE, AWAKE AND STOP NOT 16

ADVERTISEMENTS 17

Editor: Swami Ishatmananda

Vivekananda Vedanta Society of Chicago

14630 Lemont Road, Homer Glen. 60491

email: [email protected]

chicagovedanta.org

©Copyright:

Minister-in-Charge

Vivekananda Vedanta Society of Chicago

2 Chicago Calling NO 9. 2016

NO 9. 2016 Chicago Calling 3

Shiva Guru Sri Ramakrishna

The Shiva-ratri festival comes in Falgun

(February-March).

The 14th night of the dark half of this lunar

month, is dedicated to Lord Shiva, and a night

long worship of Shiva is performed. The tradition

is to keep a vigil for the whole night. The villagers

usually arrange a yatra, an open air drama on a

religious subject.

In Kamarpukur, the village of Sri Ramakrishna,

such a ‘Shiva Yatra’ was organized. The program

was going to begin, when the manager noticed that

the actor who was to take the role of Shiva did not

turn up due to illness. The organizers became

worried.

The elders of the village suggested that Gadai,

the nickname of Sri Ramakrishna, could become

Shiva as he knew many songs of Shiva and his

manners were also like Shiva-loving, concerned

but unattached.

Gadai agreed and sat to put on the costume.

When he stood up, dressed like Shiva, the

audience was thrilled. Chinu Shankhari, an aged

person, started throwing flowers at his feet. The

village women blew conch shells and filled the air

with ‘Ulu’ sound.

A strange feeling overwhelmed them all. In

young Gadai the simple & pure-hearted villagers

saw the presence of Shiva.

Students of the Biography of Sri Ramakrishna

know that Chandramani Devi, the mother of Sri

Ramakrishna, was blessed by Lord Shiva. She felt

that waves of divine light, emanating from the

village Shiva temple, entered into her person.

Devadideva – God of all gods & goddesses took

human form as Sri Ramakrishna to save human

beings.

Mathur Nath, the landlord of the Dakshineswar

Temple where Sri Ramakrishna was a priest, was a

blessed man indeed. Twice he saw Lord Shiva in

the body of Sri Ramakrishna.

Sri Ramakrishna was strolling up & down on

the north east veranda of his room at

Dakshineswar , and Mathur Nath was looking at

him from a distance with a question in his mind –

is this man, so ordinary looking, divine?

Suddenly Mathur saw in the person of

Ramakrishna Lord Shiva and Goddess Kali pacing

up & down the veranda. Thrilled, Mathur came

running and fell at the feet of Sri Ramakrishna.

On another occasion a devotee was reciting a

verse from the famous ‘Shivamahimana Stotra’ :

“O Shiva, if the ocean becomes the ink pot and the

tree the pen, the earth the paper on which Goddess

Saraswati writes the glory through eternity, even

then Thy glory will be incomplete”.

Listening to these words, Sri Ramakrishna

cried out, in a divine mood, “Shiva there is indeed

no end to Thy glory” and the people present there

saw Lord Shiva in Sri Ramakrishna. Mathur, the

blessed soul realized the truth and declared –

‘Father, you are not a common human being, ---

Father, I saw you as Shiva Himself’.

In the Puranic age, Shiva drank poison to save

humanity. In this modern age, Sri Ramakrishna

accepted in his divine person Kalvyadhi, the

incurable decease, to teach mankind that even in

the jaws of death you can remain peaceful &

happy by realizing God in your life.

In one Shiva-ratri night the villagers of

Kamarpukur had felt the presence of Shiva in the

person of Gadai.

In another Shiva-ratri night at Barangar

Monastery, Swami Vivekananda and the other

young disciples of Sri Ramakrishna danced

ecstatically around a Bel Tree chanting ‘Shiva-

Guru’!

‘Shiva Guru’! Shiva Guru Sri Ramakrishna!

EDITOR AL


Respected Swami Suhitanandaji, my brother

monks, sister nuns, and friends. I really appreciate

your patience these last two days. From 9 am to 5

pm you have been listening to various talks given

by distinguished speakers. Actually we have been

doing the Vangmaye Puja -- worshipping Swamiji

through words -- and all of you have been

participating in that worship. It reminds me of a

story: Once a monk went somewhere to give a

lecture. When he came back, he reported to Swami

Premananda: “I gave a lecture, and so many

people came. They applauded, and so on...” Thus

he was glorifying himself. Premananda

understood that this monk was very proud. He

asked him: “Did the audience listen to you with

one ear or two ears?” The monk was confused and

said, “I think, Maharaj, they used two ears.” “Then

they did not hear anything,” said Swami

Premananda. “What you said went in one ear and

out the other.” The swami continued: “You know

that the fight between the mother-in-law and the

daughter-in-law is universal. When the mother-in-

law scolds the daughter-in-law, she complains to

her husband at night when one side of his head is

against the pillow. The wife whispers in one ear

and it goes inside the husband’s mind and he

never forgets it.” So you are supposed to speak in

such a way that what you say reaches their hearts,

and that all depends on your character. Let your

character speak.”

Christopher Isherwood made a remark: “When

a being like Vivekananda is changed,

then the whole of the nineteenth century is altered.

"It is true. This is because Swamiji was the

representative of the Western world. Moreover, he

was one of the greatest destroyers. He destroyed

the hypnotic spell that had come over Indians

under British rule. Indians had lost their self-

confidence, self-esteem, and moral and spiritual

strength. They had been brainwashed by

Westerners, and suffered from an inferiority

complex. The Europeans told them: “You are weak

and uneducated and not scientifically advanced

and civilized like us. You are poor and

superstitious. If you want to be great and

prosperous, then imitate us and be educated like

us.” Thus we forgot our spiritual culture and lost

our mental strength and hope. Swamiji broke that

trend of thought. If you read Swamiji’s “Lectures

from Colombo to Almora,” you will understand

what Swamiji did for India. He actually

regenerated India through his lectures on Vedanta.

Swamiji similarly destroyed the feeling of sin and

guilt among Westerners, based on the doctrine of

original sin that says human beings are sinners. At

the Parliament of Religions in Chicago, he said: “Ye

divinities on earth -- sinners! It is a sin to call a

man so; it is a standing libel on human nature.” In

that way, Swamiji awakened the spiritual

consciousness of the West.

Some of our speakers have talked about this

Parliament of Religions in Chicago: Why was

Chicago so important at that time? It had been 400

years since Columbus’s discovery of America, and

American people now wanted to demonstrate their

advancements in science and technology in the

19th century. The Congress of Religions was a part

of that Colombian exposition.

HELP, ASSIMILATION & HARMONY

FROM VEDANTA POINT OF VIEW

SWAMI CHETANANANDA

Minister, Vedanta Society of St. Louis

This lecture was delivered on Nov. 10th, 2013 at “Chicago Calling”.


America was the first country that brought all

religions of the world together on the same

platform. But sorry to say that the Archbishop of

Canterbury refused to come and sit on the same

platform with representatives of other faiths. This

conference continued from 11th to 27th September,

and 115 speakers spoke about their own respective

religion. Swamiji was such a popular speaker at

the Parliament that he spoke six times. It is good to

know a little history behind it.

In his talks, Swamiji redefined religion. He said:

“Religion is the manifestation of divinity already

in human beings.” “The old religion said he was

an atheist who did not believe in God; the new

religion says he is an atheist who does not believe

in himself.” These sayings were new to Western

ears. One of Swamiji’s best contributions to the

Western world was his four yogas – Karma, Jnana,

Bhakti, and Raja. Through these he left a great

legacy to the Western world. If you read these four

yogas, you will know exactly what true religion is,

and nobody can confuse you. What did Swamiji

teach? On 30th December 1894, Swamiji said at the

Brooklyn Ethical Association: “I have a message to

the West as Buddha had a message to the East.”

What was that message? Vedanta. What did

Vedanta teach? The four main tenets of Vedanta

are: first, the divinity of the soul; second, the unity

of existence; third, the oneness of God; and fourth,

the harmony of religions. This is what Swamiji

taught. And what has happened since the

Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893? In

most of the main cities in America, Canada, and

other Western countries, we find interfaith and

interreligious organizations. These things did not

exist before the advent of Sri Ramakrishna or

before the Parliament of Religions in Chicago.

Swamiji got the concept of religious harmony

from four sources: First, from the Hindu

scriptures. The Rig-Veda says: “Ekam Sat Viprah

Bahudha Vadanti -- Truth is one; sages call it by

various names.” Krishna also says in the Gita: “Ye

yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁstathaiva bhajāmyaham

mama vartmānuvartante manusyāḥ pārtha sarvas´aḥ --

Different people worship different gods but

actually they worship me.” Again we find in the

Shiva Mahimnah Stotram: “Ruchinam vaichitryad

rijukutila nana patha jusham -- Different rivers

originate from different sources, but when they

meet the ocean, they lose their name and form.

Similarly, many people follow different paths, but

all lead to God.”

Second, Swamiji learned this concept of

harmony from his guru, Sri Ramakrishna. In his

foreword to Ramakrishna’s biography, Mahatma

Gandhi wrote: “Ramakrishna’s life was an object-

lesson in ahimsa. His love knew no limits,

geographical or otherwise.” He was a unique

personality in the religious history of the world.

He not only realized God through his own faith, he

also practised Islam and Christianity. And after

realizing God through different paths he

proclaimed: “Jato mat, tato path -- As many faiths,

so many paths.” Religions should not fight each

other.


Third, Swamiji learned this harmony from his

Motherland. Just think of it: from Kashmir to

Kanyakumari, and from the Arabian Sea to the Bay

of Bengal – all that is Bharatvarsha. Bharata (Bha

means light and rata means immersed) -- the

country which is immersed in the thought of light.

While travelling as an itinerant monk in that vast

land, Swamiji saw how the people and languages

were different, how cultures, clothes and food

habits were different; but people all over the

country practiced the Hindu religion. It is easy for

people to communicate in America. Here from the

East Coast to the West Coast there is one language

– English. But in India there are so many different

languages. Then what is the common basis of the

culture? If you read Swamiji’s lectures at Sialkot,

you will find that he says the common bases of

Hinduism.

Fourth, Swamiji learned this harmony from his

own experience. One day while meditating in the

Himalayas, he saw in a vision that the microcosm

and the macrocosm are built on the same pattern.

Whatever is in the vast universe, that is also within

us. He realized unity in diversity. These are the

ways that Swamiji came to understand this

harmony of religions.

The topic of our Symposium today is: “Help and

not fight. Assimilation and not destruction.

Harmony and peace and not dissention.” These

concluding remarks of Swamiji changed the whole

atmosphere of the Parliament of Religions. Here I

want to comment on these three statements:

First, help. India is the birthplace of four major

religions of the world: Hinduism, Buddhism,

Jainism, and Sikhism. It shows that India is

predominantly a religious country. One of my

friends used to tease me: “Hinduism is a very

weak religion.” When I asked why, he said:

“Because in India God is born again and again as

an avatar to revive the religion. Look at other

religions: Jesus Christ is the only prophet in

Christianity, and Muhammad is the only prophet

in Islam. But the Hindus have Rama, Krishna,

Chaitanya, Ramakrishna, and other avatars.” Then

I jokingly said to him: “You see, God gets bored in

heaven, so from time to time he comes to this earth

to check out how his children are doing. But if God

is born in other religions he might be beheaded or

crucified. So this is why he comes to India. We love

our gods and goddesses.”

India also gave shelter to other world religions.

Swamiji said: “The purest Christianity in the world

was established in India by the Apostle Thomas

about twenty-five years after the death of Jesus.”

Still you can see the Thomas Mound in Chennai.

Christianity spread in India by missionaries with

the help of Christian rulers. Again, during the time

of King Solomon, some Jewish people settled in

Cochin, South India. There you can see one of the

oldest synagogues in the world. And when the

Zoroastrians were persecuted in Persia, they also

took shelter in the western part of India and

practiced their own religion. The Arab Muslims

invaded India sometime in 1000 AD and often

converted the Hindus by force. They ruled India

for nearly 700 years. Now India has the second

largest Muslim population in the world, next to

Indonesia. So in this way India gave shelter and

help to other religions of the world.

Second, assimilation. How can we assimilate

others’ religious ideas without changing our own

faith? Swamiji beautifully described this on the

concluding day of the Parliament of Religions. He

said: “Do I wish that the Christian would become a

Hindu? God forbid. Do I wish that the Hindu or

Buddhist would become a Christian? God forbid.

The seed is put in the ground, and earth and air

and water are placed around it. Does the seed

become the earth, or the air, or the water? No. It

becomes a plant; it develops after the law of its

own growth; it assimilates the air, the earth, and

the water, and converts them into plant substance,

and then it grows into a plant.” Thus we can

assimilate the spirit of others and grow according

to our own law of growth.


Many of you know Huston Smith, the author of

the book World’s Religions. He is a prominent

professor in America. I think in 1993, Huston and I

spoke in Kansas City in commemoration of the

centenary of the Parliament of Religions. After the

lecture, somebody asked Huston: “You were a

Methodist minister, and now you are involved in

Vedanta, Buddhism, Sufism, and so on. How do

you manage it all?” Huston said: “I have no

problem. I take my regular food, and I also take

vitamins as food supplements. So I practice my

own religion, and I use other religions as my

spiritual food supplement. They give me fresh

energy with their new ideas and thoughts. I have

no problem.”

Look how Sri Ramakrishna assimilated other

religions: He had high regard for Muslims who

practiced their prayers five times a day. He

attended a prayer service of a Christian church in

Calcutta. He also practiced different

denominations of Hinduism. Sri Ramakrishna

said: “As long as I live so long do I learn.” We

should keep our heart open and learn wherever we

find anything good, beneficial, uplifting, and

inspiring. That person who says he has nothing to

learn is dead.

Third, harmony. Ramakrishna and Vivekananda

are the harbingers of harmony in this age.

Referring to interreligious relations, Swami

Nikhilananda wrote “Religions as human

institutions cannot be absolutely perfect, but God

is perfect. Religion is not God, but shows the way

to God. As clocks should be corrected from time to

time by the sun, so also religions. The correction is

made by the mystic saints, who directly commune

with God, and not by the theologians, who are

only the interpreters of the scriptures.”

In 1992, there was a convention on

‘Contemporary Mysticism’ in Avila, the birthplace

of Saint Teresa, in Spain. I talked on Sri

Ramakrishna. I mentioned the modern trend of

religion in this 21st century. We find that the main

focus of religion in the 19th century was on reason,

and in the 20th century on humanism. Now in the

21st century it will be on mysticism. Why?

Nowadays many people say: “We have read

enough. We have heard so many sermons, and

now we want experience.” That is the present

popular sentiment in the West. We live in an age

when creeds are shaken, dogmas are questioned,

and traditions are dissolving. Some Western

thinkers have predicted that doctrines, dogma, or

rituals will not be able to sustain religion in the

21st century. The external aspects, such as the

symbols, doctrines, creeds, and rituals of each

religion, differ from one another. But the internal

aspects, such as purity, love, renunciation,

compassion, and unselfishness, are the same in all

religions. Swamiji once commented: “‘Blessed are

the pure in heart, for they shall see God.’ This

sentence alone would save mankind if all books

and prophets were lost. This purity of heart will

bring the vision of God. It is the theme of the

whole music of this universe.”

About one-sidedness, narrowness, and bigotry

in religions, Sri Ramakrishna told Keshab Sen,

pointing to the music coming from the nahabat in

Dakshineswar: “Do you hear how melodious that

music is? One player is producing only -- po-o-o-o-

o -- a monotone on his flute, while another is

creating waves of melodies in different ragas and

raginis. That is my attitude. I want to play various

melodies on my instrument with seven holes. Why

should I say only ‘Brahma! Brahma!’? I want to call

on God through all the moods – through shanta,

dasya, sakhya, vatsalya, and madhur. I want to

make merry with God. I want to sport with God.”


I sometimes go to hear the St. Louis Symphony

Orchestra. I see 90 musicians on the stage. Some

play the violin, while others play the cello, drums,

bassoon, flute, and so on. All musicians are

contributing their music and creating a symphony.

So also, in this present age the ideal of Vedanta as

taught by Ramakrishna and Vivekananda is like a

symphony. It will flourish, because it is universal.

It is not limited by any kind of doctrine or dogma

or creed.

We often find that if you want to establish any

kind of religion you need three things:

First, you need a book; second, you need a

prophet; third, you need a personal God. But

Vedanta is not confined to all these things.

Moreover, America is the best place to teach

Vedanta. Why?

Because these two things are in the American

blood -- freedom and democracy. Look at the

Statue of Liberty in New York City. She is the

presiding deity of America. American people love

liberty and freedom. Vedanta teaches freedom --

Jivan-mukti, free while living. That is the goal.

Second, the concept of democracy: The

Vedantic concept of God is a democratic concept

of God. Each soul is divine; every human being is

the veritable manifestation of God; every human

body is the tabernacle of God. This is why

Ramakrishna and Vivekananda taught us to serve

human beings as God. This is truly practical

Vedanta.

A real Vedantist must sympathize with all. Monism, or absolute oneness is the very soul of Vedanta. -- Swami Vivekananda


Revered General Secretary Maharaj, Revered

Chetnanandaji Maharaj, Ishatmanandaji, other

Revered senior Monks, Brother monks, the Sisters

of the convent, devotees and friends!

Good afternoon to each one of you, “Boa tarde a

cada um de vocês” in Portuguese! The heart felt

greetings to all of you from the devotees and

friends of Vedanta in Brazil, and personally, my

greetings to each one of you.

I was asked to talk this after noon on “Swami

Vivekananda: The embodiment of knowledge”. To

begin with, I divide knowledge into three

categories. The first category is that of the

knowledge of the world, the knowledge about the

world that we see, feel and interact, that of the

innumerable names and forms, in short, the

knowledge of the objects that we perceive through

the five senses. If we look closely, our life is based

on this category of knowledge. Much of our

knowledge centers around the laws that govern

the world, that of every type of science,

mathematics, physics, chemistry, medicine, music

and a host of other areas of science. We live by this

knowledge, that is to say, that our lives are much

depend on how much knowledge we acquire in

this category from the day one of our schooling.

We get a degree and thereafter get an employment

and we earn money and our lives go on. Almost

99 percent of our lives spent in getting and using

this knowledge. Swami Vivekananda knew the

importance of this knowledge and that is why he

was emphasizing so much on ‘education’. More

than 200,000 students are studying in different

educational institutions run by the Ramakrishna

Order in India. He knew the utmost benefit of this

knowledge and how it would remove many ills of

human society, both individually and collectively.

I am not going into much details on this point for

want of time.

Now, I will go to the second category of

knowledge. What is that? The knowledge about

our ‘inner’ world, i.e., knowledge about mind,

intelligence, memory, emotional ups and downs

and so on. Where from the thought arise?

Sometimes I want to retain certain thoughts but I

cannot; and at other times I don’t want certain

thoughts to remain in my system, I want to get

rid of them, but I cannot. Where do I store so much

memory? Why children of the same family behave

differently? Is it true that we accumulate

tendencies from past lives which shape our

present lives? Why one should follow moral and

ethical values in life? We want to meditate and be

quiet and that is the time thousands of thoughts

cross our mind. According to one study, on an

average around sixty to seventy thousand

thoughts cross in man’s mind in a day. How much

knowledge do we have about all these intricate

and subtle ways our lives are being influenced all

the time? A lot of problems that we have in daily

life, which look for solution in psychology or

psychiatry or their branches, is the lack of

knowledge of this kind — the science of inner

world, the second category of knowledge. Swami

Vivekananda was an adept in this category of

knowledge.

SWAMI VIVEKANANDA:

THE EMBODIMENT OF KNOWLEDGE

SWAMI NIRMALATMANANDA

Minister, Ramakrishna Vedanta Ashrama, Brazil

This lecture was delivered on Nov. 9th, 2013 at “Chicago Calling”


During his sojourn in U.S.A one of the very first

things he did was to write a commentary on and

translation of Patanjali Yoga Sutras, known as Raja

Yoga. This book is the basis of Hindu Psychology.

He has written a master piece introduction to the

subject in eight chapters. Raja Yoga precisely deals

with this subtle knowledge, knowledge of the

inner being leading to deeper and higher

dimension of the self.

The third category of knowledge is the Self-

knowledge, knowledge of our true nature of our

being. We hear so much about this Self or Self-

knowledge but we hardly have an experiential

knowledge of it. Swami Vivekananda says ‘if there

is a Self you must feel it’. To him it is the

knowledge of the highest category, Supreme

knowledge. Sri Krishna calls this category of

knowledge as the ‘king of sciences, king of all the

secrets.’ Why do you called it a supreme

knowledge? Decades ago when I started reading

about this subject I thought seriously as to why

this Self-knowledge is called supreme knowledge,

as if the other types of knowledge are reduced to

second category or third category. It is called

supreme knowledge because there are certain

specific and valid reasons for it.

Firstly, the Self-knowledge puts an end to all

suffering in human life once and for all. In life we

do find some solutions to suffering, but those

solutions are temporary. They do not last long and

suffering returns with redoubled force. Self

knowledge is the only way to put an end to all

types of suffering once and for all. There have been

examples in lives of great sages, saints and world

teachers the demonstration of this fact.

Secondly, it removes all fear from the person

completely and for ever. Our daily life is full of

fear, fear of this person or that person, fear of

things, objects and circumstances. All fear that we

experience in day to day life have the origin of

fear of ultimate death, death of the bodily

existence. Self-knowledge puts an end to this fear

once and for all.

Thirdly, with this Self knowledge all doubts in

your life come to an end. We desperately look

constantly for a consultant to whom we relate our

problems and get help in deciding even in small

things. Our clarity of thinking is so week that

every now and then we need someone’s help in

deciding things of day today life. Hundreds of

doubts crop up within us all the time. Once a

person has this Self knowledge he has no more

doubt in life. All doubts are gone for ever.

Fourthly, no more running after things and

persons in this world. A self realized soul lacks

nothing, he is supremely satisfied in his Self.

Fifthly, this Self-knowledge fills the heart and

mind with peace and bliss that cannot be taken

away by anyone. The Self does not depend upon

anything or anyone outside for its peace and joy.

Sixthly, the Self knows it has regained its eternal

nature, rediscovered its true identity which is

infinite existence, infinite knowledge and ever free.

The list is long to say in detail, but no doubt, to the

possessor of this knowledge comes enormous

inner strength, strength that can stand alone even

if the whole world united in opposition. When a

person has this knowledge he does not feel lonely,

for there is an invisible presence hovering around

him in all the three known states of his being,

namely waking, dream and dreamless sleep state.

You are surrounded by this existence all the time.

There is always an unmistakable connection

between you and this presence. When Lord

Krishna said “remember me and fight, remember

me and struggle in your daily life” it was not just a

mere suggestion or practice but much more than

that. It was a reality and fruit of Self knowledge.

Normally, we struggle alone based on the little ‘i

and mine’ idea and identification with body mind

complex and soon get exhausted and confused.

But if we remember Him and struggle we get

enormous strength and that comes out of the result

of our march towards the Self-knowledge. So

therefore this Self-knowledge is called supreme

knowledge.


This supreme knowledge is not contrary to the

other knowledge. Each category of knowledge is

necessary and Swami Vivekananda, the

embodiment of all the three category of knowledge

knew very well the importance of each kind as I

briefly touched upon earlier.

Now you may ask, “Okay, Swami, it is all very

nice, very wonderful to hear, but how one should

go about it.?” I would say ‘get connected’; get

yourself connected to Swami Vivekananda. Give a

little bit of your mind and heart and get connected

with him on a regular basis. Establish a

relationship with him, say, as a friend, as a brother,

as a guide, as a hero , as a General and so on. You

will soon feel He is there with you more than you

expected, inspiring you and lifting you up

wherever you are and whenever you needed,

through his profound teachings, writings, poems,

and talks that spread over in 5000 pages of

Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda.

Self-knowledge gives freedom unlimited. We

know what limited freedom is, but unlimited

freedom is what we are hankering about and that

comes out of this Self-knowledge. Swami

Vivekananda is an embodiment of not only this

Self-knowledge but also the other two categories

as well. If a man is hungry give him food, an

empty stomach is not good for religion he said. If

you give education to a person it is still more

better. Highest is to give Self-knowledge,

knowledge about God realization or whatever you

may call it. Swami Vivekananda stands as the

embodiment of knowledge, infinite energy,

unending enthusiasm and down to earth practical

in religion and spirituality. All that we have to do

is to get connected with Him!

Thank you very much.

We are Shiva, we are immortal knowledge beyond the senses. -- Swami Vivekananda, CW:7; Inspired Talks

12

TO SEE POTENTIAL DIVINITY IN EACH SOUL

A Puranic Reference

One day, the child Ganesha

diverted himself in tormenting a

cat, pulling his tail and rolling

him on the ground.

Just a moment after, he left the

cat peaceful and went away. He

did not even think about what he

had done. He arrived at mount

Kailash to meet again his mother

Parvati. He found her badly

suffering, covered with wounds

and dust. He asked her about

what happened.

“I’ve no idea,” said Parvati.

“What have you been up to?”

“I was playing with a cat

and..um...I was pretty rough with

her.”

“Now I know why I have these

bruises!” said Parvati. She

explained, “Ganesha, my body is

the world and every living

creature in it. I was that cat, too!

Whatever you do to other beings,

you do to me as well!”

Holy Mother’s love for her disciples was not just like the love an

earthly mother feels for her children. It was much deeper. Once a

monastic disciple asked her, “How do you regard us?”

Mother: As God Hismself.

Disciple: But we are your children. If you think of us as God, you

cannot regard us as children.

Mother: I regard you as God and also as children. …

Holy Mother’s love was not confined to her disciples alone. It was

showered upon all who went to her for succor, irrespective of

caste, creed, merit or demerit. She helped them with food, clothes,

or medicines according to their need.

The story of Radhu’s pet cat gives even more

striking insight into Holy Mother’s love. She

arranged for it to have a daily ration of milk. The

cat used to lie peacefully near her. Sometimes

she would pretend that she was going to punish

it with a stick, but this only made the animal

creep nearer her feet. Laughing, she would

throw away the stick, and inmates of the house

would also laugh. The cat, following its own

nature, often stole food, and the Mother would

remark, “To steal is its dharma. Who is there

always to feed it lovingly?”

One day a monastic attendant treated the cat

roughly dashed it against the earth. The Mother

looked very sad.

[Once when she was leaving for Calcutta] she

said to the monk, “Scold the cat but do not beat

it. Please feed it regularly and see that it does not

go to any other house to steal food.” she again

reminded solemnly, “Do not beat the cat. I dwell

inside the cat too.”

(Excerpt from: Sri Sarada Devi, the

Holy Mother: Her Teachings &

Conversations Edited by Swami Adiswarananda)

NO 9. 2016 Chicago Calling

“The Divine Mother revealed to me in the Kali temple that it was She who had become everything. She showed me that everything was full of Consciousness. The image was Consciousness, the water was Consciousness, the altar was Consciousness, the water vessels were Consciousness, the doorsill was Consciousness, the marble floor was Consciousness - all was Consciousness.

That was why I fed a cat with the food that was to be offered to the Divine Mother. I clearly perceived that the Divine Mother Herself had become everything – even the cat.”

(Gospel of Sri ramakrishna, Swami Nikhilananda, Page 345)


The Goal of Human Life

Happiness and peace are obviously the goal of

human life, but unfortunately we think that by

worldly prosperity we can reach that goal.

Experience proves that material wealth cannot

give permanent happiness and peace. Constant

change is the basic nature of this world. Naturally,

that which is temporary in nature cannot give an

everlasting or permanent result.

That is why the Isha Upanishad advised that

lasting happiness and Peace can be had only

through the realization of God.

Bhagavan Sri Ramakrishna declared that God

Realization is the goal of every human. He has

emphatically said- God is verily a Reality. God can

be seen. Anyone can talk to him.

Eternal happiness and peace can be obtained

only after God Realization and human being only

can realize God.

Unfortunately many of us do not realize how

fortunate it is to be born as human beings. The

Holy Scripture says that a human birth, the desire

for God realization and the guidance of holy

persons are very, very rare – obtainable only

through God’s grace.

According to Hindu tradition, the individual

soul begins as an amoeba, a single celled organism

and attains a human body only after 8,400,000

births.

Brihad Vishnu Purana states,

Number of species

1,200,000 (sthavara) non-mobile, plants

900,000 Aquatic creatures

900,000 Amphibians and Reptiles

1,000,000 Birds

3,000,000 Animals

4,00000 Anthropoids

2,00000 Human varieties

Swami Vivekananda also supported this age old

theory and said, “From the lowest protoplasm to

the most perfect human being there is really but

one life. Just as in one life we have so many

various phases of expression, the protoplasm

developing into the baby, the child, the young

man, old man, so from the protoplasm up to the

most perfect man, we get one continuous life, one

chain. This is evolution…. This whole life was

involved in it (protoplasm) and slowly came out,

manifesting itself slowly, slowly, slowly” (CW

2.228).

After 8,400,000 births a human begins the

journey towards perfection. Even after attaining

the first human birth, thousands and thousands

human births are required to understand and live

a compassionate, loving, considerate, unselfish life.

Swami Vivekananda says, (CW 2.154 - 5), “The

highest evolution of man is effected through

sacrifice alone. A man is great among his fellow

beings in proportion as he can sacrifice for the sake

of others.

Whereas in the lower strata of the animal

kingdom that animal is the strongest, who can kill

the greatest number of animals, human achieve

greatness through self-sacrifice. Hence, the

struggle theory is not equally applicable to both

kingdoms.

PREPARATION FOR GOD REALIZATION PART I

SWAMI ISHATMANANDA

Minister-in-Charge

Vedanta Society of Chicago


Man’s struggle is in the mental sphere. A man is

greater in proportion as he can control his mind.

When the mind’s activities are perfectly at rest, the

Atman manifests itself. (CW 2.154 - 5)

If we are earnest in preparing for God Realization,

we should gradually control the weakness of our

mind. As has been said in the Bhagavad Gita,

(6.25),

शन:ै शनरैुपरमदे्बदु्ध्या धतृिगहृीिया | आत्मससं्थ ंमन: कृत्वा न तकतिदतप तिन्तयिे ् ||

śhanaiḥ śhanair uparamed buddhyā dhṛiti-gṛihītayā

ātma-sansthaṁ manaḥ kṛitvā na kiñchid api chintayet.

One should gradually withdraw one’s

intelligence which is kept steady through

perseverance. Keeping the mind fixed in the Self,

one should not think of anything whatsoever.

The whole of spiritual life is a gradual

elimination of the animal nature and a refinement

of the human nature in preparation for God

realization.

One has to fix the ideal according to one’s

station in life, as well as, ones physical and mental

capacity. In The Gita Sri Krishna said, in 3rd

chapter,

श्रयेान्स्वधमो तिगणु: परधमा ात्स्वनतुििाि ् | स्वधम ेतनधन ंश्रये: परधमो भयािह: ||35| |

śhreyān swa-dharmo viguṇaḥ para-dharmāt sv-anuṣhṭhitāt

swa-dharme nidhanaṁ śhreyaḥ para-dharmo bhayāvahaḥ.

“Better is one’s own Dharma, though imperfect,

than the Dharma of another well performed?

Better is death in one’s own Dharma; another

person’s Dharma is fraught with fear.”

In India the entire life cycle has been divided into

four states:

• Student

• House-holder

• Retired

• Dedicated to God

Preparation of God Realization begins from the

beginning of human life.

What is God?

By the term “God” is designated a Supreme Power,

the creator of the universe. The goal is God, but

different concepts have created different schools of

thought or philosophies.

God according to Buddhism:

The Buddhist system of religion does not believe in

the concept of God. The Buddhists strongly believe

that the Karmas of an individual decide the

destination of an individual. Even Buddha Himself

cannot interfere with the Karmic process. Of

Course, some later Mahayana schools which

developed outside India ascribe divinity to a

transcendent Buddha, considering the living

Buddha to be a manifestation of the Adi-Buddha.

Like the Dalai Lama (in Tibet), Panchen Lama etc.

In the Theravada tradition the Buddha is regarded

as a supremely enlightened human who has come

to his last birth.

God according to Christianity:

Christianity admits the existence of God who is

• Omnipresent - Everywhere

• Omniscient - All Knowing

• Omnipotent - All Powerful

Gospels of Luke (24:39), John (4:24) and Mathew

(16:19) declare that,

“God is a spirit without flesh and Bones”,”God is

Invisible”,”God is immutable (unchangeable)”.

And God is full of – Light (Truth), Love, Holiness,

Mercy, Gentleness, Righteousness, Goodness,

Perfection, Justice, Faithfulness, Grace.

God according to Islam:

God (Allah) is the All-Powerful, All knowing,

Creator, Sustainer, Ordained and Judge of the

universe. God is ‘Tawhid’ (Singular), ‘Wahid’

(Unique) and ‘Ahad’ (one). God has 99 names.


God according to Judaism:

God is Absolute, indivisible, incomparable being –

the ultimate cause of all existence,

Incomprehensible and unknowable. It is only

God’s revealed aspect that brought the Universe

into existence and interacts with mankind.

According to Jewish Traditions, the God of

Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is the one God of Israel

who has a proper name YHWH; in modern

pronunciation Yehovah, “The Self-Existent One”.

God according to Jainism:

Jainism, like Buddhism rejects the idea of a God as

the creator. They believe in the Karma theory and

also believe the inherent nature of any soul has

infinite Bliss, Infinite Power, Perfect Knowledge,

and Perfect Peace.

One who achieves this state of soul through right

belief, right knowledge, and right conduct can be

called a god (with small “g”).

God, according to Hinduism:

Hinduism has given humanity the freedom to

search for God accordingly to one’s own will. This

has developed three permanent paths for God

Realization, ascribing three different names to the

same Reality. In a famous Hindu scripture, The

Srimad Bhagavatam we find

िदतन्त ित्तत्वतिदस्तत्वम ् यज्ज्ञानमद्वयम ् । ब्रह्मतेि परमात्मतेि भगिातनति शब्द्द्यि े॥

The knowers of Truth declare that knowledge,

where there is the absence of duality, to be the

ultimate Truth, which is referred to as Brahman,

Paramatma (Supreme Soul) and Bhagavan (God).

Hinduism states that Satya or Truth is the bedrock

of Spiritual life. The Mundaka Upanishad firmly

declared (111.1.6) सत्यमिे जयि े नानिृम ्, Truth alone

triumphs; not falsehood.

In the Mahabharata we find

nasti satya samo dharma -- There is no religion like

Truth

na satyat viadyate param -- There is nothing Superior

to Truth

na hi teevra taram kinchid – There is nothing on

earth that is

anritadiha vidyate – -more useless (baser) than

Untruth

Hence the founders of Hinduism are known as

Sayta-Drasta, Seers of Truth or Revealers of Truth.

What is this Satya?

Satya is Tattva and Tattva means Existence or

“Thatness”. In simple language, it is that Reality

which is above all illusions, delusions, doubts,

deceptions and appearances. According to the Rig

Veda, only One exists and not two (ekam sat).

According to Sri Shankaracharya,”Brahma

satyam jagat mithya, jiva Brahmaiva na aparah.”

Brahman is Satya (Real), this world with its

appearances is false – but all beings are nothing

but Brahman.

The cause and the effect are identical.

Shankaracharya’s view has been supported by

the Chandogya Upanishad (3.14.1)

saravam khalu idam Brahman - All this is verily

Brahman. This is born from, dissolves in, and

exists in That.

The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad also

pronounced,

idam Brahma idam sarvam (2.5.1); Brahman is all

these

ayam atma Brahma (2.5.19); This Soul is Brahman

aham Brahmashmi (1.4.10); I am Brahman

We find the famous dictum tat-tvam-asi – Thou

art that in Chandogya Upanishad.

But this is very difficult for the ordinary people

to understand that he or she is God.

I am God! How is it possible for a sinful,

sorrowful, puny, panicky feeble and foolish Jiva,

the individual soul, to be all-virtuous, all-blissful,

all-great, all-poised, all-powerful, all knowing

Brahman?

[To be continued]


ARISE, AWAKE, AND STOP NOT

The sign of vigor, the sign of life, the sign of hope, the sign of health, the sign of everything that is good, is strength. As long as the body lives, there must be strength in the body, strength in the mind, [and strength] in the hand.

CW6; Lectures and Discourses; Formal Worship

Misfortunes hit her again and again. Each time new fight showed up, she just moved forward denying

the defeat. Her name is Vijaya (meaning triumph in Sanskrit).

Within a few years of finishing her undergraduate studies and becoming an Arts student, Vijaya

Mishra became bedridden due to arthritis. Conventional treatment was not of much help. After watching

a TV show on pranayama, she began practicing those exercises at home and slowly regained her ability

to walk and decided to attend a pranayama camp in Hardwar.

On the way to the camp, just as she was getting down from the train, she got terribly injured by a car

accident.

Vijaya’s left elbow broke and her weaker leg got damaged more severely and her left toes had to be cut

out. After spending almost three and a half months in the hospital, when she returned, she permanently

lost her capacity to walk on her own feet again.

The resident of Srirampore (a suburb of Kolkata, India), Vijaya prepared herself for another fight. She

started physiotherapy and decided to offer herself fully through her arts. She started with pencil sketches

and then continued painting on canvas with brush & color.

Then her work started to get recognition. In 2010, her painting of Rabindranath Tagore was displayed

in the Commonwealth Games Village in Delhi. She presented her paintings to political leaders and

ministers purchased her portrait drawings too. Vijaya had her exhibitions in the prestigious museums &

art galleries of Kolkata. In her mid-forties, she once again started to nurture her dream of becoming a

great artist.

In 2012, she started a school to teach drawing to people who had lost their ability to walk. She got

about twenty students. When her life seemed almost almost settled, the challenge of cancer showed up.

She had to go through chemotherapy and her uterus had to be removed. In January 2015, she had her

second surgery. However, Vijaya says, '‘I used to get curled up in physical pain. But I never broke down

mentally. You know, now I am free from cancer & ready on my toe to start to work for my school full

fledged”.

Story adapted from anandabazar.com

Vijaya Mishra, Artist

Misfortunes hit her again and again. Each time new fight showed up,

she just moved forward denying the defeat. Her name is Vijaya

(meaning triumph in Sanskrit).

Within a few years of finishing her undergraduate studies and

becoming an Arts student, Vijaya Mishra became bedridden due to

arthritis. Conventional treatment was not of much help. After watching a

TV show on pranayama, she began practicing those exercises at home

and slowly regained her ability to walk and decided to attend a

pranayama camp in Hardwar.


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